Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer was the adjutant commander of the United States Army’s 7th Cavalry from 1867 until his untimely death in 1876. During his tour of frontier duty in “Indian Country,” which consisted of primarily the western half of Oklahoma, and included parts of Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, he contributed a series of articles to a popular magazine. Those articles were later compiled into a best selling book, published in 1872 titled, “My Life On The Plains.”
“My Life On The Plains” is an excellent eyewitness account of the current events that were taking place on the American Frontier in the years immediately following the Civil War. It describes a vast region of the United States that became known as the Great Plains, and concerns a series of events that were associated with that dynamic part of our country. Custer was present in the early stages of what was known as the Indian Wars, which occurred in that region's history, from 1867 until 1876 when he was killed with one third of his command at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on the Crow Indian Reservation located in the Montana Territory.
As a regimental commander, Custer made two gigantic military blunders; the first was his disregard of the latest reconnaissance from his scouts as to the size of a large Native American village and its inhabitants, who were the objective of the military campaign of which his command was engaged; the second, and the most serious, was his division of his command into three battalions and his decision to conduct a surprise attack on the village without the assistance of his two subordinate commanders, in the hopes of quickly taking captives; he reasoned the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors would capitulate, thereby ending the recent hostilities. Custer's disregard of military protocol cost him his life and those of one-third of his command. He faced upwards of 2,000 Native Americans with roughly 267 of his troopers. Surrounded on three sides, and with the Little Bighorn River to his back, he was forced to ward off the attack on top of a small hill. At the time of his death, his descriptive treatise, “My Life On The Plains” was a bestseller. Custer was 36 years old.
Lt. Colonel Custer was a publicity hound throughout his military career, beginning soon after his graduation from West Point in May of 1861. He was a participant in the early campaigns of the war; the ink was hardly dry on his diploma when in July of 1861, he participated in the First Battle of Bull Run. He was present in several strategic battles, and quickly learned the power of the press could enhance his career. Custer played a key role in the Battle of Gettysburg and was an intricate part of General Philip Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Nicknamed “The Boy General,” he was promoted to Brevet Major General of the Michigan Volunteers at age 23, and was present at Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
After the war, Custer was a contributing author to various popular magazines; some under a pseudonym and some with his byline; he used these articles to no doubt, bolster his huge ego. Lt. Colonel Custer obviously loved the written word as he was an avid reader and a prolific writer. He would regularly contribute articles to various magazines on topics ranging from hunting to political commentary, while pursuing his career in the United States Army. Custer was a popular writer of his day and his literary efforts were eagerly anticipated by the readers of those monthly periodicals; the part-time author was an exception to the rule as many editors would solicit material from him for their publications. As the adjutant commander of the 7th Cavalry, he would oftentimes stay up until the wee hours of the morning, writing his articles after putting in long hours on his “day job.”

I was surprised at how articulate “General” Custer (he often preferred using his brevetted rank) was, given his standing in his graduating class; he was the “goat,” finishing last in his class of 34, but being a poor student does not necessarily mean that student is, for want of a better word, “dumb.” On the contrary, George Armstrong Custer was highly intelligent; as mentioned, he was an avid reader and a prolific writer, stemming from his school days in Michigan. Part of his and Ms. Custer’s personal effects were the trunks of books that were among his most cherished possessions at his various duty stations.
Custer was a brilliant military tactician, beginning with his service during the Civil War, but “The Boy General” and accomplished author made one fatal error two years after the publication of “My Life On The Plains;” his extreme arrogance and continued quest for fame and glory cost him his life. Had it not been for the efforts of his wife throughout her widow hood to clear his name and preserve his image as that of a fallen hero, Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer would have rated only a brief footnote in the annuals of history. If he had followed his first career choice that of a school teacher, fame, glory, and thus history would have more than likely passed him by. On the other hand, had he not made his fatal mistake that June afternoon of 1876, he probably would have entered politics after completing his military career, thereby rising through the political “ranks,” with his journey culminating at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Custer was a career Army officer on duty in the American Frontier, assigned to help manage the “Indian problem.” His best seller, “My Life On The Plains,” serves as an excellent historical record of the events which occurred in this dynamic part of our country. It was written in a time when certain aspects of those times would not be tolerated today ... and rightly so. But, history cannot be changed; what is history but yesterday's current events. A noted historian/politician once stated something to the effect that, “if we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.” By reading Custer's book, we learn from history that we are all Americans, and one member of an ethnic group who is native born or a naturalized citizen has the right to claim the title of “American” the same as another who meets those criteria; we can also enjoy reading his description of a region of our country when it was the American Frontier, thereby seeing this dynamic region of the United States in its natural state of existence, through the eyes of its accomplished author.
Custer began his book with the inaugural chapter excellently describing this vast territorial area of the United States, which was once known as the Great Desert. He subsequently rebuked that misnomer, instead describing this immense area as a huge grassland, or a great plain. He then described the hazards and drawbacks of a soldier serving in this unique region of our country. This inaugural chapter is quite interesting, and in my opinion serves as an excellent beginning to his book as it sheds light on the vast area of our country that is as different from the eastern United States as night is from day. Custer’s down to earth description of Army life in this “frontier,” far removed from the trappings of civilization, puts the reader in an army uniform as a member of the storied 7th Cavalry. It serves us today as an eyewitness account of a time many of us cannot fathom; the closest comparison to this frontier service for a 19th century American soldier of which modern day Americans can relate would be the deployment of those members of our armed forces to Afghanistan ... a country in our 21st century whose frontier could be compared to the American frontier of which Custer and his command served almost 160 years ago.
As mentioned, Custer used a very descriptive tone in his writing. He not only describes this unique region’s “lay of the land” and its inhabitants, including their customs and beliefs in great detail, he offers his opinions of those inhabitants, overtly placed throughout his chapters. And, as mentioned above, many of his opinions would not be acceptable today. But, as modern Americans, we must consider the author's station in life when he penned those words; impartial readers will realize Custer was a product of his times and of his station in life, that of a soldier on duty in the American Frontier; its very name designated that unique region as a harsh environment. He was assigned a difficult mission in this frontier … to aid in the alleviation of a problem with a people who lived a lifestyle they were fighting to keep. As I read this book, I couldn't help but wonder if those Native Americans knew the inevitable would occur and their inherent lifestyle would be “gone with the wind” within a generation.
But, even if they did know, the Native Americans saw their lifestyle as worth fighting for ... and in desperation, they valiantly ... and viciously fought to preserve it. Custer used derogatory language in his descriptions of the Native Americans, but yet, he empathized with them in their endeavors.
By 1890, the fight was over ... the American Frontier was tamed, and most of the Native Americans who called the Great Plains “home” had been placed on reservations. There, they continued their autonomy, separated from an America they rejected, but in their rejection, they would forever be an intriguing part of our country's history.
“My Life On The Plains” is an excellent historical and descriptive record of this region of our huge and wonderfully dynamic country. It was written by a very articulate eyewitness who no doubt had his faults, but immensely enjoyed his dual careers … leading the 7th Cavalry throughout the Great Plains, in a winter campaign during 1868-69, and submitting lengthy articles to his editors of Galaxy Magazine concerning his adventures while in the service of his country. Today’s reading audience should disregard that author's detrimental comments concerning the Native Americans as a “sign of the times.” With that being said, fortunately, those times have changed. As mentioned earlier in this review, the Native Americans were an indigenous people fighting for a way of life of which they cherished. Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer recognized the unwavering pride of the Native Americans; he respected them for their beliefs … and didn’t blame them for fighting for those beliefs and their cherished lifestyle. Unfortunately, something much greater was pushing the Native American lifestyle to the sidelines of which he and his 7th Cavalry were a small part. 
Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer’s “My Life On The Plains” is an excellent historical record of a dynamic region of our country that is well worth reading. The author's desire was for his readers, as stated in his concluding sentence, “to gain a true insight into a cavalryman's ‘Life on the Plains.’” The commander of the 7th Cavalry was highly successful in his literary effort.
And for that, I’ll award it a five-star rating. *****